If You Build It: Bend, OR Whitewater Park

The opening of the Bend Whitewater Park in September, 2015 marked the transformation of the deadly Colorado Avenue Dam into a community focal point. The project, over a decade in the making, gathers area paddlers spread out across the magnificent rivers of the southern Cascades, to join in the heart of their booming adventure town for afterwork surf on the Deschutes River.

"People I hadn't seen in six or seven years are coming out to the river," says Josh McKeown, a Bend resident who works at Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe, an outfitter located directly upstream of the park.

McKeown believes the newly constructed park will help introduce people to the sport while also providing a place for more experienced paddlers to fine tune their skills. "It creates community and stability," adds McKeown. "A place to get people stoked about the sport."

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